1. Eighth Amendment
Maricela Gonzalez

2. What exactly is the eighth amendment?
"Excessive bail should not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel or unusual punishment inflicted"

3. Francis v. Resweber
Willie Francis convicted of murder on September 1945
Sentenced to death on May 3, 1946
Mechanical difficulty?
New death warrant issued

4. Issues Officials claimed a violation of Eighth Amendment
Electrocuted him without killing him
Sent him back to prison to await another death sentence

5. Final Verdict Decided didn't go against Eighth Amendment
Was not intention of police department to fail
Sent him back to prison
Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor to another execution
Willie Francis electrocuted on May 9, 1947

6. Baze v. Rees Januarary 1992, Ralph Baze killed 2 police officers
Sentenced to death on September 25, 2007
Argued lethal injection was unconstitutional
Used eighth amendment as reference

7. Issues Does it lethal injection violate eighth amendment?
Chemicals used in execution violate?
Other chemicals can be used to cause less pain

8. Final Verdict
Supreme Court claimed a painless execution was never required
Granted stay of execution on September 12, 2007
Currently on death row

9. Citations
By the applications, petitioner claimed the protection of the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment on the ground that an execution under the circumstances detailed would deny due process to him because of the double jeopardy provision of the Fifth Amendment and the cruel and unusual punishment provision of the Eighth Amendment. (n.d.). Louisiana ex rel. Francis v. Resweber. Retrieved October 05, 2016, from
Bador, E. J. (2008, June 30). Revisiting the Execution of Willie Francis: Race, Murder and the Search for Justice. Retrieved October 05, 2016, from d_the_search_for_justice
Blanco, J. I. (n.d.). Willie Francis | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers. Retrieved October 05, 2016, from
By granting certiorari in this case, the Supreme Court has seemingly imposed a "de facto moratorium" on lethal injections across the country. While the outcome of this case is unlikely to outlaw the death penalty on the whole, it may have a profound effect on the kinds of procedures that will be used to carry out future executions. (n.d.). Baze v. Rees ( ). Retrieved October 06, 2016, from
Legal Systems. (n.d.). Retrieved October 06, 2016, from